Dohā, or couplet, is Bijayini Satpathy’s first evening-length choreography. Navigating the relationship between prayer and play, the work is a culmination of her year-long residency at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York in 2022-23. 

The idea of prayer is central to the Odissi dance form, and much of the traditional repertoire addresses or praises a deity. In this work, however, Bijayini abandons theistic depictions to emphasize the bhāva – the emotional experience – of prayer as an embodied human act. Through intricately patterned choreography, she constructs her own solitary rituals, oscillating between precision and spontaneity. Within the strictures of ritualized prayer, she embraces play and playfulness as an essential part of the individual’s search for the divine.

Bijayini’s long-standing interest in expanding Odissi’s physical vocabulary finds new direction in this work, which looks beyond gestural ornamentation. Here, Bijayini hones in on the skeletal nuances of Odissi’s lexicon to find abundance and sensuality within a more austere palette. She also moves away from textual narrative and performs only one couplet of poetry, written by the 18th-century Urdu poet Mir Taqi Mir. The lines address neither god nor beloved. Instead, they talk about slowing down even the smallest breath to appreciate the fragility of the universe.

لے سانس بھی آہستہ کہ نازک ہے بہت کام

آفاق کی اس کارگہ شیشہ گری کا

"If you breathe, breathe softly:

The mirror work of the cosmos is delicate."

(trans. Saraswati Nandini Majumdar)

This work sincerely acknowledges and offers gratitude to the Mahari temple dancers and young Gotipua dancers of Orissa, whose contributions have made Odissi as loved and rich as it is today.

Dohā was created and premiered by Bijayini Satpathy as part of her Live Arts’ 2021-22 Artist in Residence at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

CREDITS

Bijayini Satpathy - Choreography and Performance

Bindhumalini Narayanaswamy - Music composition 

Sujay Saple - Lights and Design 

Poorna Swami - Dramaturgy

Masoom Parmar - Costume Design

Alif Arts Consultancy - Production management

MUSIC CREDITS

Bindhumalini Narayanaswamy - Voice  

Bijayini Satpathy - Rhythmic voice 

Shivshankar Satpathy - Mardala 

Sameer Rao - Flute 

Neil Mukherjee - Oudh and Classical guitar 

Rithu Vysak - Strings 

M.S. Krsna - Classical guitar, Production and Arrangement 

Sridhar Varadarajan and Krishna - Editing and Premixing 

Protyay Chakraborty - Mixing and Mastering 

Recorded at Studio 304 and Laya Digi Studios, Bangalore.